The Ideal Element in Law (Tagore Law Lectures, 1948)

Pound, Roscoe. The Ideal Element in Law. [Calcutta]: University of Calcutta, 1958. xiii, 370 pp. Reprint available 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 2002073034. ISBN 1-58477-279-4. Cloth. $90. Roscoe Pound [1870-1964] was the dean Harvard Law School and one of the most important legal scholars of the early twentieth century. This book reprints a series of lectures he delivered at the University of Calcutta in 1948. Pound was deeply critical of contemporary legal interpretation because he believed it had abandoned its commitment to enduring ideals. By relying instead on sociological theories, political ends, or other objectives, legal practice loses its connection to both the rule of law and the idea of law itself. The resulting loss of boundaries, he warned, would enable government to encroach on individual rights. With a table of cases, index and bibliography.